Removable control plate for



A TTOR NEY D wi W A m a w w. A. ANDERSON 2,634,051

REMOVABLE CONTROL. PLATE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed June 25, 1951 By 2144; 4 flit:

April 7, 1953 Patented Apr. 7, 1953 REMOVABLE CONTROL PLATE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Underwood Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware Application June 23, 1951, Serial No. 233,234

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to accounting machines having a traveling paper carriage, and more particularly to removable control plates therefor.

In accounting machines such as described above, a plurality of machine function controlling elements are provided, said elements bein variously actuated, in successive columnar positions, by means of pins fixed on a control plate supported in the traveling carriage.

Many users of accounting machines utilize the machine for different types of work, and it is, therefore, frequently desirable to substitute for a plate carrying pins positioned thereon to actuate the machine function controlling elements for performing one type of work, another control plate set up to produce work of another character.

It is, then, an object of the present invention to provide an hnproved means for attaching a machine function control plate to a traveling carriage whereby the plate is quickly and readily attachable and detachable, and which means will position the control plate and the pins carried thereby in correct relation with the machine function controlling elements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removable control plate and improved attaching means therefor that are both rigid and simple in construction, economical to manufacture and assemble in the machine, and accurate and dependable in operation.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the important elements of which are set forth in appended claims, and a preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form part of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the control plate attached to the carriage, and resting in normal position,

Figure 2 is a partial side view in vertical elevation, of an accounting machine embodying the present invention, taken along the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken from the line 3-3, Figure 1, showing the means provided for locking the control plate in operating position, and

Figure 4 is a front view of the left hand mounting means for the control plate.

The invention is herein exemplified in a machine similar in character to that disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,946,505 and 1,946,823, to O. J. Sundstrand, dated February 13, 1934, to which patents reference may be made for an understanding of features of construction and mode of operation not fully described or illustrated herein.

The present disclosure is an improvement on the mechanism shown in my Patent No. 2,020,282, issued November 12, 1935.

Referring to Figure 2, the machine includes a traveling paper carriage indicated generally at $0. The carriage includes side plates II and I2, Figure 1, supported in spaced relation on a frame member I3, Figure 2, said frame member |3 being supported for lateral movement on antifriction members It carried on a rail l5 mounted on machine frame ll. Also supported on the machine frame ll, by means not shown, is a bracket l8 carrying machine function controlling slides 20. Supported in the end walls II and I2 of carriage i0 is a control plate 2| in which is fixed pins 23 for engagement with the machine function controlling slides 20 during tabulation of the carriage l9 and for retaining the slides 20 in actuated position while carriage I0 is positioned in a columnar position. The rear edge of the control plate 2| is supported during the lateral movement of the carriage by a roller 24 mounted on the frame Hi, to position the pins 23 vertically with relation to the control slides 20. The plate 2| is pivoted in the carriage l0, and is rocked clockwise, Figure 2, in a manner similar to that described in Patent No. 1,946,505 above referred to, to release the plate 2| and the carriage from arrest by one of the controls 20 for tabulation during a working lateral movement, and to keep pins 23 clear of the control slides 20 during return movements of the carriage.

While control plate 2| is pivotally supported in the carriage and must have considerable resistance to endwise movement, yet the plate is readily attachable and detachable. To this end, the plate 2| is firmly secured to a bar 26, by any suitable means, as for example screws 21, Figure 1. One end of bar 26 carries a member 29, Figures 1 and 4, secured therein having a conically shaped portion 30 in which is fixed a pin 32. Pivoted in the left side carriage plate 12 and in a bracket 33 fixed thereon is a member 35 having a slotted recess 36 for slidably receiving the conically shaped portion 30 and pin 32 of member 29. Fixed in the other end of bar 26 is a stud 38 having an annular groove 4|, and a tapered end portion 42. Fixed on a bracket 44 secured to the right side carriage plate I! is a sleeve 41 having an axially extending hole 48 for receiving of the plate 2| is inserted into the slotted sleeve 35 and is moved leftwardly untiltapered 611K142 of stud 39 is clear of the bottomofthe cutfaway portion of sleeve 41. 26 is now moved forwardly onto ,thesheltof The right hand'end of bar sleeve 47 and in this positionis'movedrightward- V 1y, with stud 39 entering hole 43 in sleeve ll until the right end of bar 26 abuts the left side of the uncut portion of sleeve d! to -position pins'23' in the control plate 2! in the correct position relatively to control slides 20,

When the control plate-2! is moved to such right hand position it is secured therein; to preventrits'beooming loose during operationot the machine. For. such securing of plate 2|,a lockinginieinbertifi, see Figure 3, is supported in a slot 54 and pivoted on a pin 56 in sleeve 41. Rerarin to Figures 1 and '3, locking member 53 is provided with anarcuate portion 5? for engagement in the annular groove ll in member 39, under the tension of a spring-39, to prevent lateral movement of the control plate'2i.

j Toienable'manual release of the control plate smacking member 531s provided with an ear Gil extending outwardly below the carriage side-plate [i whichear 36, when depressed, rocks the lockm memb r 53 about pin 56 and lifts the arcuate portion 151 thereof from e gagement 7 in the annularig roove'l in stud'39. The control plate is then readily moved leftwardly as viewed in Figure 1, until stud 39 clear of the bottom of the'cut away portion of sleeve i'Lis then swung rearwardly froin sleeve 41, and the control plate is rightwardly to withdraw cone 3i) and pin 3Z frojmslotted recess 3B ofsleeve 35 and so en; ablecomplete removal of control plate 2! from mames V Du'rin operation of the machine, the rocking, of the control plat/e2 I for tabulating as above set out seed-ins ls m nmrd sclQ in t e entreferred to gives rise tosorne noise, To prevent such n seithe, p a es m vem ntscontmlieddure ing its restoring movement. For this purpose, a

lever 62, Figure l, is fixed on sleeve 35 and is connected by means of pin and slot connection 63 with a cradle 65 pivoted on a stud 66 fast in the carriage side plate I2. Cradle 65 has firmly fixed therein a pin 68 which is connected to a dash pot E8 on carriage .side plate. 32. The dash pot 69, in thej'us'ual manner; enables free'and easy raising of the control plate 2!, but retards and cushions the restoring movement of the plate to provide quiet operation.

. ,frheabove description is of a preferred embodimentof m invention but is not to be taken in a limiting sense as many variations are possible all coming withinthe scope of the following claim.

---Wh'at is claimed is:

s -Ina machine of the class described having a frame, function control elements thereon, and a travelingscarriage, the combination of a control plate, members thereon. to contact said function control elementsin different positions. of -said carriage on saidframe, and releasable ineansfor pivotally mounting said control plate in said carriage for movement about an axis parallel to the direction of movement ofsaid carriage, said releasable means comprising a bar to which said control plate is secured, a round tapered portion at ,eacliendof said bar the axis of each'portion being parallel to the axis, of said bar and one of said tapered portions having a cylindricalgroove therein, recessed sleeves on the carriage tore'ce'ive said tapered portions, the .space between said sleeves being less than the length'of said bar and said'portions, one of said sleeves being recessed toat least a depth equal to thedifference between said length and said space, and latching mean'sl'on the other sleeve engageable with said groove when said tapered portion is inserted in thei-eeess of said sleeve to hold said bar and said control plate in'a fixed lateral position.

WALTER A. ANDERSON.

'REFERENCE'S CITED The followingreferences are file of this. Paten 7 r V. a H UNITED STATES PATENTS Number- 

